


Of Wrath and Angels

by bexacaust



Category: Homestuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-31
Updated: 2014-12-31
Packaged: 2018-03-04 13:03:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3068972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bexacaust/pseuds/bexacaust
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eridan versus Cronus Battle</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Wrath and Angels

_He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them. - Psalms; NKJV_

 

Eridan felt like a boiling storm; deep in his chest. The vicious and cruel rage that plagued those higher on the hemospectrum. Once again his thoughts were haunted as he hunted through bubbles to find an outlet for his anger and hurt. The old whispers of the Angels; the pleading and sobbing of Feferi.

The mocking voice of that  _damned_  psionic.

His fist slammed the gnarled and dead trunk of an old tree as he stalked, cloak-less and hateful, through the scenery. He flickered his fins, gritting his teeth and shoving through foliage-

And smelled tobacco.

His sneer became a grin as he turned his head in the direction of the scent. A perfect target; that miserable failure that unfortunately shared his name. Cronus. A whining, pathetic stepping stool; an insult to an honorable name.

Eridan’s chest hurt from his bottled emotion as his steps changed direction.

Cronus looked up, brightening when he saw Eridan… And then narrowing blank eyes.

"Eri, you alright kid?"

"Shut up."

"Whoa, calm down… Seriously.", said Cronus calmly. He had been sitting, pen skritching over surprisingly neat sheets of music before Eridan had shown his face. The elder Ampora set his hobby momentarily aside, standing and brushing the dust from his jeans before moving to Eridan’s side.

"Eri, talk ta me. You alright?"

"…No."

Cronus went to speak, before ducking back as Eridan swung at him. Shockingly nimble considering how distracted he was, Cronus managed to quickly and efficiently dodge Eridan’s strikes.

"Er-ERI FUCKIN’ CHILL MAN!"

Eridan snarled, and lunged. Cronus shouted a swear as sharp claws raced across the flesh of his arm, slicing it wide and dying it violet.

Cronus clapped a hand over the injury, looking at Eridan in shock.

"Fuckin fight BACK Cronus!"

"Eridan, vwhat the hell is goin’ on vwith ya?!"

Cronus narrowly avoided another swipe; but unfortunately didn’t dodge the swift punch from Eridan’s other hand. The older Ampora stumbled a bit before Eridan bulled into him with a shoulder, swung a knee hard into Cronus’ side.

Cronus choked and hissed, his gills now throbbing in bruising pain as he dropped to one knee.

"Fuckin fight back, you fuckin’ COWWARD!"

Cronus blinked in the half second before Eridan’s kick slammed into his face, sending him tumbling sideways. His hair was mussed, and his arm crusted in dust and blood as he slowly got up to one knee, breathing raspily.

"Eridan, don’t fuckin’ say that okay?", he said calmly.

Eridan stalked over, proud as a peacock as he stood over the kneeling Cronus.

"Wwhat was that? Are you orderin’ me around then? You fuckin’ wweakling."

"Eridan."

"Wwhat a pathetic waste a violet blood.", cooed Eridan, leaning down. His scarf dangled limply, "Like I fuckin’ said. A pathetic, mudsuckin’ co-"

"FUCKIN’ DON’T!"

Eridan blinked, and suddenly he saw sky.

He sat up, wheezing hard as his chest throbbed harshly. He… A rib had broken. He blinked in shock, looking towards the now-towering figure of Cronus.

His face was twisted into a vicious snarl, teeth bared as his broad chest heaved from air forced i and out. His hands were curled into fists, and his steps were heavy and loud in Eridan’s ears.

"Don’t you fuckin’ call me a coward, boy.", snarled Cronus, like a devil form some forgotten hellish oubliette, "I fuckin’ lived through what you did, you festerin’ sack a shit; you aren’t the only one who saw Angels. Who fuckin’ saw an’ caused death."

Eridan swallowed, scrambling to his feet and wheezing again. This wasn’t what he expected… Not in the least. Cronus was usually so good-tempered, nearly to a fault! He was a joke, a laughingstock at best.

But that “laughingstock” had a hand on Eridan’s scarf now, and hauled him up face to face.

"You want a fuckin’ fight? I’ll give you one. It’s been fuckin’  _ages_.” 

That twisted smile; a maniac finally let loose. Eridan didn’t even have time to scream before a heavy fist slammed into his face; cracking the fine bridge of his nose along with the lenses of his glasses. Shakily he rose, only for the air he managed to salvage with his scrambled chest-cavity to leave in a grand whoosh of pain as a steel-toed boot slammed into him. He bounced like a fresh corpse down a hill, retching grandly from the bile suddenly in his throat. 

His scarf unwound from him like a loose thread, flopping lazily from the motions. Eridan put fingertips to his throat, making sure the frills on the sides hadn’t torn beyond repair.

And then the burning pain of claws over his face from a hard slap.

Eridan wailed, his hand flying to his face as he blinked from the sudden pain-

There was a slashed hole in his cheek. He looked to Cronus, who still had that twisted smirk on his face.

"Fight back.", hissed Cronus.

Eridan blinked, and answered the grin with one of his own. He flew at his elder, and they battled like rabid wolves in a starving pack. Slashing and snarling, punching and breaking flesh and bone.

Eridan was laughing as Cronus snarled in Beforan. This was what he had wanted. An outlet. What they both wanted after sweeps and sweeps of holding it all back. They broke apart, circling. Cronus spat blood, letting his eyes drift closed a moment.

Eridan took it as a sign of weakness, and lunged. Cronus sidestepped him easily, letting Eridan stumble before he bulled into him from behind and knocked Eridan face-first in the dirt. Eridan felt fingers in his hair, jerking his head back up long enough for him to gasp before his face was slammed once, twice, three times into the unforgiving and hard-packed earth.

His face was sticky with his own blood, a few more hits and he threw his head back, making Cronus snarl as a horntip gouged under the elder’s eye, letting purple flow over his bruised cheek.

Eridan squirmed, bucking and wriggling until Cronus moved away and let the younger Ampora leap on him; straddling his body and throwing bony punch after bony punch into a sneering visage.

Cronus threw him off easily, chasing after him like a hunting shark. Eridan tried to stumble away, feeling his head reel and his body shake with the threat of giving out. He fell against one of those dead trunks.

His last mistake.

Cronus was there, a seething mass of purest rage and loathing; fins on full display ad a flickering glow from his skin.

ON the hunt.

Eridan swallowed the sour taste of defeat as the first punch landed against his cheekbone. He was hauled back up by his shirt, and the final rain of cruel strikes began. Black was billowing up, threatening to take him over when Cronus finally let him drop; chest heaving from exertion. With a last kick to the younger Ampora’s chest, he stalked away, to sit and let himself breathe.

Eridan had no doubt if they recovered they’d fly into another fight.

He let himself laugh again, loud and long and hysterical at the smears and splatters of violet all over the ground.

That sound is what attracted both of the Vantases. Karkat, rife with worry; and Kankri, confused and slightly amused.

As they neared the battle scene, Kankri’s ears perked when he heard Cronus’ voice; roughened and raspy, snarling epithets in Beforzan once again and Eridan hissing in Alternian. Both mutantbloods picked their pace up from a jg to a sprint.

"JESUS CHRIST B9TH 9F Y9U, ST9P!"

Karkat grabbed Kankri’s sweater, hauling him away as Eridan and Cronus clashed, “YOU FUCKING NITWIT! STAY DOWN!”

"No! We have to stop them, let GO of me Karkat! This instan-"

"Shut the FUCK UP Kankri. IF we go in now, they will MURDER US."

"Cronus would never hurt me."

"Right now, Cronus wouldn’t fucking recognize you. That’s a highblood’s rage. That is what they keep fucking tempered down in their skin. They will rip us APART."

"They’ll rip EACH OTHER apart if we don’t STOP them!"

"…Fuck."

There was a low snarl echoing now. Both Vantases crept out, and Kankri darted immediately.

"Kankri NO! FUCK!"

Cronus was standing over Eridan, breathing smoothly and splattered with mud and dirt.

"Get up, Eri."

Eridan gasped, cringing and moaning in pain.

"Come on, get the FUCK up!"

Kankri slowed as he neared, gulping down his fear. He had never seen Cronus like this; angry and vicious and downright cruel. His steps were slower, and he carefully moved closer. He heard Karkat creeping behind him.

"Cronus?", murmured the red-sweatered troll, reaching out lightly.

Cronus turned to him, eyes narrow and angry. Kankri froze; for a second he remembered the vibrant color of them once upon a time; imagined how bright they would be in this very moment.

Cronus backed down, walking a ways away from Eridan and dropping down to sit. HIs shirt was a mess, a hole ripped in the knee of his jeans. Violet was smeared in various places; an injured arm was crusted in blood and dust.

Karkat was at Eridan’s side immediately. pleading for Kankri to help. Kankri did so, watching as Cronus lit up a cigarette from a now-rumpled and bloodstained pack.

The smoke curled into the air.

Karkat had Eridan bundled in his arms, murmuring that he’d meet Kankri back at his hive and to be careful.

"He might still be fucking dangerous. Are you armed?"

"Yes, yes of course. Go on back.", said Kankri absently.

Karkat watched Kankri until the redblood was at the seadweller’s side, before he ducked away and ran back the way he came.

"…Cronus? Cronus, are you… alright?"

"Angry.", he snarled, before shaking his head, forcing himself to breath and blink. He took another heady drag, letting it out through his gills. Terrible habit, and Kankri frowned lightly.

He moved closer to the twitching seadweller… And Cronus let his head rest against the smooth line of Kankri’s thigh. He nuzzled against it, one hand hooking around the calf.

""m sorry Kanni. I tried ta hold it all in but…"

"Cronus, what as that?"

"That’s… That’s what happens when we get angry and don’t hae no one t’stop us.", said Cronus simply with a shrug, That’s just what I am."

"Surely not all the time.", said Kankri in fear as Cronus tossed aside the spent cigarette and rose to his feet stretching and wincing from the various injuries scattered over him like confetti in hell.

"Yeah Kanni. All the fuckin’ time. Now, I can unnerstand if you’d rather I stay away from you now-"

"No, wait, now when did I say that?"

"Oh, Idunno, when you looked at me like a fuckin’ spooked hopbeast?!", snapped Cronus, that wild look in blank eyes again before he looked away, "….Sorry. I should go."

"No, you most certainly won’t. Unless its going back with me."

"Huh?"

"I need to patch you up."

"Nah, I c’n take care a mys-"

"No.", said Kankri, swallowing his terror and worry, "I  _need_  to do it. I  _need_  to make sure you’re  _alright_. Alright?”

Cronus blinked… and nodded.


End file.
